Hope
by yajf9524
Summary: When all seems lost, hope is all that we have.


_I do not own the show Blue Bloods or any of the characters in this story. If any of the dialogue or storlylines between the characters seem familiar, I do get my inspiration from shows like NCIS and NCIS LA which I also do not own just for clarification. _

Eddie and her partner Jamie were sitting at their desks writing parking summons both wishing to be outside on Patrol.

"Hey Reagan how many do you have left to do?" Eddie asked.

Jamie replied without looking up, "Eight, you?"

"What?"

"Why, how many do you have to go?" Jamie asked looking up.

"Twenty five," Eddie whispered.

"I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that." Jamie replied with a grin growing on his face.

Eddie let out a breath and looked Jamie straight in the eye and clearly said, "Twenty five."

Jamie laughed, "What have been doing the last hour Janko?"

"Wishing with all my heart that we will be requested to go out on patrol."

"I got the next best thing Janko." Danny's brother Detective Reagan announced walking up to their desks holding the arm of a man.

"And what would that be Detective Reagan." Eddie asked turning to face him head on with a smile which soon dropped as she saw the man he was with. Jamie being as perceptive as he is saw the exchange made between the two of them which also didn't go unnoticed by Danny.

"Do you know this man Officer Janko?"

Eddie simply ignored the question and looked down.

"I asked if you knew this man. Officer Janko?" Danny asked more forcefully.

Eddie looked up but refrained from looking anyone in the eye.

"Martin Janko."

Danny and Jamie looked at each other and both mouthed Janko. Danny then began looking at the forms he had in his hand and instantly regretted not looking at them beforehand. It soon occurred to him that this was a set up made by his father Commissioner Frank.

"Ok you're obviously a relation to him, well if nothing personal is going to get in the way, you as well as Officer Reagan will be his protective detail for the next few days. Do you see yourself having a problem with that Officer Janko because if you do I can assign other officers to him?"

With no emotion in her eyes Eddie looked Danny straight in the eyes and proceeded, "Of course not Detective. I will conduct myself professionally on this protective detail and will not let my personal judgment cloud my duty."

"Good, now I'm going to take him to a motel where you two will stake the place out making sure no one comes in contact with him and if they attempt to you will call it in. is that understood."

"Understood." Both Reagan and Janko replied.

"Ok I'll meet you two out front in fifteen minutes."

Danny left with Martin Janko while Janko and Reagan prepared for the detail.

Jamie reluctantly asked, "What relation is he to you Eddie, Uncle?"

"Father," Eddie replied.

"The same father that's meant to be in jail and who you haven't spoken to in three years." Jamie said in disbelief.

Eddie simply looked back at him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Eddie gave a wry laugh and said, "Of course I don't want to do this but if I let every personal thing that happened to me on this job get to me, I wouldn't be an effective cop."

Before Jamie could reply she was already heading for the squad car parked outside of the precinct. He knew that that was a slight hint to the kiss they had shared a couple months back but for his own sanity he would keep it under wraps for now.

Danny got Martin settled in the hotel room and left leaving Eddie alone with her father while Jamie sat out front in the squad car.

"I'm surprised you agreed to do this Eddie." Martin Janko said simply.

"I didn't do it for you. It's my job."

"I guess I deserved that."

"You want to tell me why you're not still in jail, and why you're being catered for and protected by the NYPD."

"I gave valuable information in exchange for my release."

"That still doesn't explain why you need police protection."

"The information I gave was enough to put a certain criminal organization in prison for a very long time and as the police start rounding the members all up, just as a precaution in case they happen to find out it was me who ratted on them, I need to be kept in protective custody."

Eddie merely stared back at her father waiting for an explanation as to why he committed the crimes that put him away in the first place.

"You know Eddie if you want to talk, we'll talk but I'm not going to beg."

"Why'd you do it?"

"Why'd I do what?"

Eddie stared back in disbelief.

"You don't have any feelings." Eddie said with no emotions in her eyes.

"I have no feelings. I did what I did Eddie to try and make a better life for all of us, for our family."

"At the expense of everybody else's families, some of whom were our dearest friends. You know confronted with the prospect of your own death another man…."

"A lesser man."

"A human man," Eddie yelled back.

When her father didn't attempt to say anything back Eddie left slamming the door with unshed tears in her eyes.

"Everything ok?" Jamie asked as Eddie got into the passenger side of the squad car.

Eddie didn't want to lie yet she didn't want to tell the whole truth either. "As well as can be expected I guess."

"Just say the word Eddie and I'll call Danny to take us of this detail."

"Did Danny brief you on why we are on this detail?"

Jamie ignored the fact she didn't answer his question and replied, "Yeah."

"Then we're staying."

"Why? Because Danny already briefed me." 

"No because even how angry and hurt I am because of him at the end of the day he's still my father and I don't want him to get hurt. Does that sound crazy to you?"

"No, it sounds human."

Eddie let out an exhale of breath she felt that she had been holding since first laying eyes on her father back at the precinct when suddenly Jamie asked, "What did you mean back at the precinct, about personal things getting in the way of you being an effective cop."

Eddie paused and absorbed the question while trying to weigh the consequences of telling her partner the truth and when she turned to answer him the look in his eyes told her, he was thinking the exact same as her. He heart wanted to say one thing while her head wanted to take the safe way out.

"I don't know, just that if we were to let a mixture of our personal lives into our work lives, things could get messy."

"Sometimes it's hard to avoid events or feelings like that occurring and I mean in our line of work, we live day in day out how short life can really be. It just depends really on whether you're ready and willing to take that risk."

Eddie didn't say a word, she merely contemplated his words as they sat in comfortable silence.

Back at the Reagan house for their traditional family meal the topic of Jamie's partner was on the horizon.

"So Dad. What's the deal with you setting up Officer Janko to be the protection detail for her father who she hates?" Danny asked.

"I was asked to do it."

"By who," Jamie chimed in.

"Martin Janko or more his lawyers, plural."

"Wait, let me get this straight Eddie's father requested Eddie personally to be on his protective detail."

Frank nodded.

"Why?" Danny asked.

"Unresolved issues with his daughter would be my first guess?"

Jamie decided to sway the topic of conversation a bit with, "How is the rounding up of the members of this criminal organization Mr. Janko ratted out going?"

"I don't want to jinx it but so far so good you know. We've already arrested half and are on the lookout for the other half. My guess is Eddie's father won't be in hiding for too much longer." Danny said matter of factly.

"Jamie when is your next protection shift?" Jamie's grandfather asked.

"Tonight."

"Hmm well that gives me an idea. Seeing though his protection detail might nearly be over why don't you invite Mr. Janko and your partner for dinner tonight here?"

Everyone at the table especially Jamie and Danny looked at him in disbelief.

"I don't think that's a very good idea." Jamie said.

"I agree with Jamie." Danny said.

"Well that's a first." Linda said.

"Hey I call them when I see them."

"I think it's a great idea." Frank said.

"What." Danny and Jamie said in unison.

"I remember when I was on the beat, doing stakeouts and hitting the streets. Hitting the streets was great however stakeouts and protection details aren't all what they're cracked up to be and I mean having dinner here would break up that monotony at least for a couple of hours and it would give Eddie a chance to talk to her father."

"Oh come on Uncle Jamie the upside to it is that you get to have dinner with Eddie." Nikki said with a cheeky grin plastered on her face.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Frank didn't like where this was going so he cleared his throat and asked. "So Jamie, are you going to call your partner and set it up or not."

"Hey dinner here beats freezing to death hours on end in that squad car but I can't speak for Eddie."

"Well you won't know unless you try." Jamie's grandfather said.

"Alright, excuse me for a moment."

Jamie walked into the kitchen and got his phone out of his pocked and dialed Eddie's number.

"Hello," Eddie said yawning.

"Janko, you awake,"

"Barely, What's up?"

"I was just wondering if instead of protecting your father at the motel tonight, we could do it at my Dad's place over dinner."

"Uh.."

"I mean if you don't feel comfortable with that it's cool, I just thought to break up the monotony of the protection detail."

"Why not. What time?"

"I don't know about 6. Do you want me to pick you up so that we can get your Dad?"

"No it's all good. I can pick him up and meet you at your Dad's place who is also our boss and commissioner; suddenly I just got a bad feeling about this."

"Hey don't worry about it, in his house he's just my dad and plus you're not only my partner but you're my uhh well you're my fffriend."

Awkwardly Eddie finished the conversation with, "Right, yeah good friends. Guess I'll see ya then Reagan."

"Yeah, see ya then."

No-one knew what the night ahead had in store for all of them.

Eddie picked up her father and they were now parked out front of the Reagan home.

"Before we go in I have a question I need answered," Eddie asked turning her head to look at her father.

"Why did you specifically request me to be on your protection detail?"

Eddie's father looked at her like he didn't know what she was talking about.

"Oh come on Dad, it doesn't take someone with a high IQ to figure it out. There has to be a reason and I think I have a right to know."

After a few moments Eddie's father spoke up.

"I guess I thought that if I had the chance for you to see the good I am trying to do here it would make you look at me the way you used to when you were a little girl, with pride."

Eddie didn't know what to say but she knew she could feel the tears building and also see them in her dad's eyes.

"Ok, thank you for telling me. Well you probably remember from when I was a little girl that I kinda have a big appetite and right now I'm starving."

Eddie's father laughed, "Yeah I remember."

"Alright then, let's go."

Jamie greeted them at the door.

"Mr. Janko I hope you don't mind this, I thought it might be a little more comfortable for all of us." Jamie said as he shook Martin's hand.

"Not at all, beats that small motel room kid."

Frank greeted Martin in the living room while Jamie had the chance to catch up on how Eddie was doing.

"How are you holding up?" Jamie asked as he took off her coat.

"I'm good," Eddie said with a genuine smile.

Jamie smiled back realizing that maybe this wasn't a bad idea after all.

"So Mr. Janko, did Eddie here always want to be a cop?" Jamie's grandfather asked.

"Ever since she was a little girl, she was playing detective around the house, it was her dream."

"Well that does sound familiar, Jamie here was the exact same as a little kid, with his brothers."

Eddie looked over at her Dad who was smiling at her and for the first time in three years Eddie smiled back which in both of their eyes was a sign of forgiveness.

"I need to use the ladies room."

"Sure it's just down the hall, first door on the right."

"Thanks."

"I've been cooped up for so long, I was wondering if it would be possible to sit outside just for a little while and have a much needed smoke."

"Sure I'll go with you Mr. Janko."

"There's no need Jamie. Just need some time to clear my head."

Jamie was hesitant but eventually said ok.

Just as Eddie came out of the bathroom rapid gunfire ensued and on instinct she pulled out her service weapon, sticking to the walls of the Reagan home she moved forward towards the gunfire coming from the front of the house outside. As she reached the front living room she saw Frank shielding his Dad with his own body and Jamie with his weapon drawn same as her but there was one person missing. When they all heard the car speeding off, the Reagan man started to get up.

"Where's my father," Eddie asked with panic in her voice as she holstered her weapon.

Jamie just looked at her knowing what they were about to discover.

"Where is he?" Eddie asked again as she went toe to toe with her partner.

All Jamie could do was look at the front door. Eddie turned and ran grasping the door handle and pulling it open to see her dad collapsed on the steps.

"No," Eddie said with so much emotion yet announced in barely a whisper.

She slowly moved forward and as if her movement mimicked her facial reaction, her expression shifted from shock and unshed tears to horror and pain as the river of tears began to fall.

"Daaaad," Eddie screamed as she knelt beside him and put her arm around him as gravity made his body slump towards her. She cradled his head while crying for the father whom she had just forgiven and now lying dead in her arms.


End file.
